Some temptations are too big to resist. The fish hat looks funny, and more and more people knitted it and posted pictures of their finished hats. I wanted to knit it more and more for every posted picture. But I had made the decision to finish my WIP's before starting something new. Well, then I remembered my colleague's birthday. The fish hat is a perfect gift, funny, warm and colorful, just like my collaegue. I used about 5-6 hours on the hat, and a lot of that time was weaving in threads. Why did I choose so many colors and thin stripes? Well, sometimes the needles are faster than my thinking. My colleague was very happy. My kids discovered the hat before I gift wrapped it, and the pattern was on the table. Now they want their own fish hat, but I'm going to finish my tunic first.At least I think so.

Yup, my first toe-up-socks knitted with two circular needles are finished. Had to frog the first attempt, but then I learned to start the increasing for the heel a lot earlier. Knitting the heel was so much easier this time than the attempt with the Godzilla-socks as well. I knitted through the back loop when I knitted two together at the heel and the resault was a lot better. I used Regia Fasett and love the colors.

When you get hooked on something, you're hooked. And it's the right time to get hooked on knitting socks at the moment. My Christmas present-list for next Christmas has some socks listed and I have several socks planned as well. I'm knitting a pair of Retro Rib socks from the book Favorite Socks Interweave. The pattern is not toe-up, but it's easy to make the adjustments.

I have knitted a hat. It was supposed to be a birthdaygift, but I was wrong about the birthdaykid's age. The hat is knitted in size two years and the kid turned six. Oh, well, it goes into the bag of gifts. It's knitted in alpaca from Drops.

A week ago I joined SnB in Oslo. There I learned to knit toe-up-socks on two circular needles. Yesterday I learned how to knit the heel. That part went well and I think I understood how to do it. I was eager after learning something new and I knitted and knitted. Back home I realised I'd been too eager and had a thing or two yet to learn about toe-up-socks. How long should I knit the foot befor I start increasing for the heel? That's a question I still need to find an answer to. My first attempt of a toe-up-sock does not fit my foot. Time to frog again.

I was led into temptation. Before SnB yesterday I made a trip to Du Store Alpakka, because the new way of knitting socks demands new circle needles. DSA have Knit Picks' circle needles. The problem is that the yarn is so delicious and practically screams at you; take me home, please take me home with you. I ended up with two pattern pamphlets and eight skeins of Mirasol in addition to the two circle needles I actually went in there to buy. Well, well, does it help to tell you I have plans for all the skeins?

My tunica is growing, and I have started knitting the first arm. I'm measuring and trying it on to get it to fit me. I don't like the arms too long, but they can't be too short either. It's a bit hard to get it right since I changed the pattern to raglan. But it's almost finished. I'm really looking forward to wear this tunica.

It's some process on some of my projects. I'm not the girl sitting around doing nothing. Oh, no, in this home or actually couch, it's busy needles, oh, yes. I have quite a lot of big projects on the needles now, actually two, so I needed a small, fast project. I knitted Wham Bam thank you Lamb yesterday. It was done in an hour, needles 7 and Alfa. I think it's going in my gift basket, but I'm not sure. I'm very pleased with the resault, so it might end up around my neck for all I know. I can certainly knit more of it.

I've time to knit a bit on my Tradisjonstunica as well. It measures about 24 cm and I'm decreasing all the time so instead of 440 stitches it's now about 300. I'm very pleased with the purple color I chose. And I'm happy I decided to frog my first attempt, because the pattern was first knitted with dark purple on dark brown. The main color was too dark and the pattern was hardly visibly. Had to buy a new skein in a lighter color, and that was my first yarnshopping in 2009. I just had to buy yarn. Couldn't really exchange the used skein, could I? Not my fault I just had to buy one skein, but then I chose the colors in the first place, so it might be me anyway. Well, I didn't buy more than 50 g, so I was a good girl.

Well, nothing finished yet, but I think I have been so effective so far this year. I frogged my Firestarter-sock. It was knitted a long time ago, and I couldn’t really remember what size of needles I actually used to knit it. The second sock was doomed to be different from the first one. Frogged it! To frog something is underrated, said Månestråle to me. And that’s correct, ‘cause really, it is a good feeling to get rid of UFOs. I have also frogged Beaded Camisole. The top is nice, and I am going to knit me one. Maybe this summer?

What I’m trying to say, is that UFO’s have been frogged and I had to reward myself with some new projects. But I have almost just new projects going on at the moment. The Ripple is tucked away with my stash. Here is what I’m working on these days. From top left: Socks in Knit Picks, Mitered Mittens in Smart and Wisteria in some handpainted yarn. Middle left: Drops dress in alpaca and Safran cotton and Silktop in Silktweed from Drops. Bottom left: Tradisjonstunika in Finull and Muscari socks in Regia.

I have this list of projects I've promised myself and others to finish early this year. Fingerless gloves for a collague was high up on that list. Now I've finally managed to find time to knit them. I used Drops alpaca and knitted them after a pattern I found at Ravelry. Stulpen is the name of the pattern. The picture is unfortunately crappy, but I'm going to give them away tomorrow and I finished them way after daylight today, so that's just how it is. The white didn't like the flash of my camera, but I took a close up picture to show the cables. Soft and hopefully warm, and the pattern was fun to knit. Another thing I can cross out from the list. That's the best thing about lists, to cross out things.

This year's first socks are finished. I knitted them in regular stockinette stitch and with the heel I like so much, but can't remember the name of. I used Regia Kaffe Fasset, needles 2 mm and 70 gram. I don't have big feet, but didn't believe I used so little yarn on a pair of socks for me. It's the first time i weigh a pair of sock I've knitted.

I have finished the suit from Nøstebarn, only missing the buttons. Have to buy buttons tomorrow. I think I've been a good girl finishing things I "have" to do, so now it's time to knit something fun, something I want to knit.

I started on an easy pair of sock in Regia for me. Great colors, easy to knit and I'm in a big need of more socks. It's just too cold at the moment. When the temperatures sink below minus 10 degrees Celsius, it's just freezing. Wishful thinking; minus 5 degrees Celsius and loads of snow.

I've weighed and counted my yarn. It's a bit more than I thought and absolutely not less than last year at the same time, even though I don't really know how much I've used this year. Right now my stash is excactly 20800 grams.

A new year, a lot of possibilities. I had big plans to start 2009 with empty knitting needles and no UFO's. Well, that didn't quite work out the way I planned. I still have some UFO's, but I have finished some projects. My Mermaid was finished 25th of December. It's not a great picture, but I didn't have much time to take the picture. Maybe I'll take another one later. The receiver of the present was happy, even though I finished a bit late.

My daughter wanted a dress, so I knitted her one. Well, not the whole truth, since both yarn and pattern was bought at Dale's factory in September. It took a while before I had time to start the project, but between Christmas and New Years Eve I finally had the time. It didn't take that much time either. What I actually used most time to do, was to wait for the shops to open. I was one skein short, and since the stores are closed 25.th and 26.th. of December, I had to wait two days before I could finish it. Now it's done and ready to use at school tomorrow.

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